RJ Mitte and director Steve Vidler on the set of Standing up for Sunny.

It’s been 22 years since Steven Vidler directed Blackrock, a teenage drama about the rape and murder of a young schoolgirl starring Heath Ledger in his first feature film role.

Since them the AFTRS and VCA graduate who also holds a research PhD in screenwriting from Macquarie University, has had a long and successful acting career starring in films like The Thin Red Line and The Home Song Stories and television shows like Underbelly and Rake.

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Vidler has recently directed his second feature film called Standing Up For Funny which he also wrote. Standing Up For Sunny follows Travis (RJ Mitte), a quick-witted young man with cerebral palsy and some serious anger management issues, who agrees to help write new material for the slightly damaged, amateur comedienne, Sunny (Philippa Northeast). Sparks fly as Travis and Sunny reveal themselves to each other through the therapy of stand-up comedy.

Ahead of the film’s screening at CinefestOZ, we caught up with Vidler to discuss the making of Blackrock, his relationship with the late Heath Ledger and of course, Standing Up For Sunny.

Standing Up For Sunny will screen at CinefestOZ on Saturday, 31 August. Details and tickets here.

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